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Johnny - posted on 03/10/2012

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Depends on the person. Some people can pull it off and look great forever. Others look dorky no matter what. But I'm a believer in dressing how you feel comfortable. So if you want to wear a spiked choker and leather pants when you are 75, I will try my hardest not to laugh. But I most assuredly will not have a problem with it. I am usually an extremely conservative mainstream kind of dresser. I aim for "classy modern 60 year old". Given that I'm only 35, I'm obviously not one to pick on people for age appropriateness :)

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I am 35 years old and I still wear my skater shoes (which I just bought some awesome MacBeth Eliot's) and just bleached my hair blonde. My 9 year old daughter is insisting that I put pink streaks in it as well. I don not think there is any age limit at all. I rather still dress like my skater/punk fashion that I have wore for years than wear a belly shirt. Just now I let go of the spikes and mohawks that is done with.

It also depends on the region. I think here it might be a big deal if you work in retail fashion, but otherwise not really. You might be expected to "tone it down" for the court, the boardroom, or if you are working in sensitive positions with the public, like a doctor. But not to change one's look entirely. For instance, my own doctor has large visible tattoos on his neck and arms. He has a full teaching practice, and is very well rated on RateMD, so it doesn't seem to bother anyone. I ran into him once at a night club about 6 years ago, he definitely has a different look for the office, but I was not at all surprised by it.

It can affect your ability to get a job. A lot of places have standards for appearance and if you fall outside that like goth or punk an employer will either tell you to change your appearance or more likely just not hirer you in the first place. I'm not a punk or goth but I have tattoos, piercings, did have brightly colored hair, and more alternative clothing. When I worked it was an issue I had to change how I looked while I worked but I don't feel comfortable in a mainstream look so I only did it during work hours.

As far as to young I started to go more alternative in my appearance around 7 years old when I was allowed to have some say over what I wore. Personally I wasn't allowed to have full say over my clothing till 15 years old and not allowed to wear make up outside the house till 14. I plan to keep an eye on my own children's clothing choices and limit make up till preteen years but if they want to be punk/goth at 6 or 7 I don't see a problem with it if they do so within my rules.

No if that's what a person likes and feels good in then who cares what their age is. That being said I think at a point it becomes more difficult to be punk/goth because society begins to really push the norm onto a person and most conform around the age when they begin to work.